CYBER-SAFETY BASICS

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CYBER-SAFETY BASICS
A computer security tutorial for UC Davis
students, faculty and staff
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INTRODUCTION
This tutorial provides some basic information and
practical suggestions for protecting your
personal information and computer from
cyber-attacks. Cyber-safety topics covered
include

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WHAT IS CYBER-SAFETY?

• Cyber-safety is a common term used to describe a
  set of practices, measures and/or actions you can
  take to protect personal information and your
  computer from attacks.
• At UC Davis, we have the Cyber-safety Program
  policy, PPM 310-22, UC Davis Cyber-Safety
  Program, which establishes that all devices
  connected to the UC Davis electronic
  communications network must meet certain security
  standards.
• As part of this policy, all campus units provide
  annual reports demonstrating their level of
  compliance.
• Further, there are services in place to help all
  students, faculty and staff meet the cyber-safety
  standards. This tutorial provides specific
  information about these services.

UC Davis Mrak Hall

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CYBER-SAFETY THREATS
First, lets talk about some common cyber-safety
threats and the problems they can cause . . .

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CONSEQUENCES OF INACTION

• In addition to the risks identified on the
  previous slide, as part of the UC Davis community
• you may face a number of other consequences if
  you dont protect personal information
• and your computer. Consequences include

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CYBER-SAFETY ACTIONS

• The following slides describe the top seven
  actions you can take to protect personal
  information and your computer. These actions will
  help you meet the UC Davis Cyber-safety Program
  policy standards.
• By implementing all seven measures, you will
  protect yourself, others, and your computer from
  many common threats.
• In most cases, implementing each measure will
  only take a few minutes.
• You can find more about cyber-safety on the UC
  Davis Computer Security website,
  http//security.ucdavis.edu/

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TOP SEVEN CYBER-SAFETY ACTIONS
Additional information about each of the actions
below is provided on slides 8-14. Faculty and
staff should work with their technical support
coordinator before implementing these measures.
1. Install OS/Software Updates
2. Run Anti-virus Software
3. Prevent Identity Theft
4. Turn on Personal Firewalls
5. Avoid Spyware/Adware
6. Protect Passphrases and Passwords
7. Back up Important Files
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Install OS/Software Updates

• Updates--sometimes called patches--fix problems
  with your operating system (OS) (Microsoft
  Windows, Mac OS X) and software programs (e.g.,
  Microsoft Office applications).
• Most new operating systems download updates by
  default. Be sure to work with your technical
  support coordinator.
• To see if there are patches for your system and
  software, visit
• Windows Update http//windowsupdate.microsoft.com
  to get or ensure you have all the latest
  operating system updates. Newer Windows systems
  are set to download these updates by default.
• Apple http//www.apple.com/support
• Unix Consult documentation or online help for
  system update information and instructions.

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Run Anti-Virus Software

• UC Davis requires each computer that connects to
  the campus network from home or work be protected
  by anti-virus (AV) software.
• Installing and running an anti-virus program
  avoids computer problems caused by viruses. Be
  sure to work with your technical support
  coordinator.
• Anti-virus software removes viruses, quarantines
  and repairs infected files, and can help prevent
  future viruses.
• Periodically, check to see if your anti-virus is
  up to date by opening your anti-virus program and
  checking the Last updated date.
• For more information on anti-virus options, see
  UC Davis Software License Coordinations FAQ for
  Campus Anti-Virus Software.

10
Turn on Personal Firewalls

• Work with your technical support coordinator to
  check your computer's security settings for a
  built-in personal firewall.
• Microsoft Windows and Mac OSX have built-in
  firewalls. See
• Mac http//support.apple.com/kb/HT5413
• Microsoft http//windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windo
  ws-8/windows-firewall-from-start-to-finish
• Unix users should consult system documentation or
  online help for personal firewall instructions
  and/or recommendations.
• Once your firewall is turned on, have your
  technical support coordinator test your firewall
  for open ports that could allow in viruses and
  hackers. Firewall scanners like the one on
  http//www.auditmypc.com/firewall-test.asp
  simplify this process.
• Firewalls act as protective barriers between
  computers and the Internet.
• Hackers search the Internet by sending out pings
  (calls) to random computers and wait for
  responses. Firewalls prevent your computer from
  responding to these calls.

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Avoid Spyware/Adware

• Spyware and adware take up memory and can slow
  down your computer or cause other problems. Tools
  to remove spyware/adware are available. Work with
  your technical support coordinator.
• Spybot and Ad-Aware to remove spyware/adware from
  your computer are available to UC Davis students,
  faculty and staff for personal use for free from
  the UC Davis Software License Coordination
  website, http//software.ucdavis.edu
• Watch for allusions to spyware and adware in user
  agreements, before you install free software
  programs.
• Be wary of invitations to download software from
  unknown Internet sources.

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Back Up Important Files

• Reduce your risk of losing important files to a
  virus, computer crash, theft or disaster by
  creating back-up copies.
• Keep your critical files in one place on your
  computers hard drive so you can easily create a
  back-up copy.
• Save copies of your important documents and files
  to a CD, online back-up service, flash or USB
  drive, or a server.
• Store your back-up media in a secure place away
  from your computer, in case of fire or theft.
• Test your back-up media periodically, to make
  sure you can access and read the files.

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Prevent Identity Theft

• Don't give out financial account numbers, Social
  Security numbers, drivers license numbers or
  other personal identity information unless you
  know exactly who's receiving it. Protect others
  peoples information as you would your own.
• Never send personal or confidential information
  via email or instant messages. They can be easily
  intercepted.
• Beware of phishing scams. They are frauds that
  use email messages that appear to be from a
  reputable business (often a financial
  institution) in an attempt to gain personal or
  account information. Never enter personal
  information into an online form you accessed via
  a link in an email you were not expecting to
  receive. Legitimate businesses will not ask for
  personal information online.
• Order a copy of your credit report from each of
  the three major credit bureaus Equifax,
  Experian, and Trans Union. Reports can be ordered
  online at each bureaus website. Make sure
  reports are accurate and include only those
  activities you have authorized.

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Protect Passphrases and Passwords

• Do not share your passphrase, and always make it
  difficult to guess by mixing letters, numbers and
  punctuation, and avoid using dictionary words.
• Do not use one of these common passphrases or any
  variation of them qwerty1, abc123, letmein,
  password1, iloveyou1, (yourname1), baseball1.
• Change your passphrase periodically.
• When choosing a passphrase
• Use a mix of at least three of the four character
  types (upper case, lower case, symbol or number)
• Don't use more than 10 characters of any one type
  (no more than 10 numerals or letters).
• Avoid the use your birthdate, login account or
  first or last name in the passphrase
• Store a passphrase or passwords in a safe place.
  Consider using KeePass Password Safe
  (http//keepass.info/), Keychain (Mac) or an
  encrypted USB drive to store passwords. Avoid
  keeping a passphrase or passwords on a Post-it
  under your keyboard, on your monitor, or in a
  drawer near your computer!

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CYBER-SAFETY AT HOME

• Physically secure your computer with security
  cables. Lock doors and windows in the dorms and
  off-campus housing.
• Avoid leaving your laptop unsupervised and in
  plain view in the library or coffee house, or in
  your car, dorm room or home.
• Set up a user account and password to prevent
  unauthorized access to your computer files.
• Do not install unnecessary programs on your
  computer.
• Microsoft users can download the free Secunia
  Personal Software Inspector (https//psi.secunia.c
  om/), which lets you scan your computer for any
  missing operating system or software patches, and
  provides instructions for getting all the latest
  updates.

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CYBER-SAFETY AT WORK

• Work with your technical support coordinator
  before implementing new cyber-safety measures.
• Talk with your technical support coordinator
  about what cyber-safety measures are in place in
  your department.
• Report to your supervisor any cyber-safety policy
  violations, security flaws/weaknesses you
  discover, or any suspicious activity by
  unauthorized individuals in your work area.
• Physically secure your computer by using security
  cables and locking building or office doors and
  windows.
• Do not install unnecessary programs on your work
  computer.

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CAMPUS CYBER-SAFETY SERVICES

• UC Davis offers services and software to protect
  the campus network
• against cyber-safety attacks. These include

Services Software
Campus email virus filtering Campus firewall services Email attachment filtering Vulnerability scanning Intrusion prevention system Free change management software Tripwire Free Spyware/adware removal tools for personal use
For more about these and other campus
cyber-safety services, visit http//security.ucdav
is.edu

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QUESTIONS?

• For more information about cyber-safety at UC
  Davis, visit http//security.ucdavis.edu.
• For answers to questions about this tutorial,
  contact cybersecurity_at_ucdavis.edu.
• For help implementing a cyber-safety measure on
  your work/school computer, contact IT Express at
  [phone].

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CYBER-SAFETY BASICS QUICK QUIZ

• True or False? Viruses can be transmitted via
  email, email attachments or IM.
• People who seek out your personal information and
  then use it to commit crimes are
  called_____________________
• Which of these methods help prevent identity
  theft? (Check all that apply.)
• __A. Never send personal information via email
  or instant messages.
• __B. Always send personal information via email
  or instant messages.
• __C. Lock my office door.
• __D. Dont tell anybody my name.
• True or False? Iloveyou2 is a good passphrase.
  Why or why not?
• I just downloaded a free program online and now
  my computer is running very, very slowly. Which
  of the following most likely happened?
• __A. I didnt install the program properly.
• __B. I didnt have enough space on my hard drive
  for the new program.
• __C. I downloaded spyware and/or adware, too.
• __D. Someone snuck in while the program was
  downloading and changed my password.
• ___________________help prevent your computer
  from responding to pings (calls) from hackers.

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QUICK QUIZ ANSWERS

1. True
2. Identity thieves
3. A and C are correct. D would probably help too,
   but seems a bit extreme!
4. False. Iloveyou2 is a very common passphrase.
5. C. Its most likely that you downloaded spyware
   and/or adware.
6. Firewalls
7. OS and/or software updates (patches)

How did you do? 7-6 correct Fantastic! 5-4
correct Good. 3-1 correct You might want to
review the material for the questions you missed.

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REFERENCES

• UC Davis Cyber-safety Program policy (PPM 310-22)
• http//manuals.ucdavis.edu/ppm/310/310-22.pdf
  
• UC Davis Cyber-safety Program
• http//security.ucdavis.edu/cybersafety.html
• UC Davis Security website
• http//security.ucdavis.edu
• Cyber-Safety Basics
• http//security.ucdavis.edu/cybersafetybasics.
  html

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CREDITS
The Cyber-safety Basics tutorial is provided
by